After
Amsterdam we change tack and head South towards Germany. A quick blast on the Autobahn and we are in
Cologne or
Köln.
* Don't forget to watch the videos at the bottom of this page *
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| Cologne Cathedral or Hohe Domkirche is apparently Germany's most visited tourist attraction. |
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| Next to the cathedral is Heinzelmannchenbrunnen - did you twist your tongue yet? |
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| A statue depicting some kind of folk tale about hard work and laziness. |
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| It's difficult to get a shot without any scaffolding in it |
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| Very ornate main entrance. |
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| Agilolphusaltar - the hand carved altar piece with hundreds of small figures depicting biblical scenes. |
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| As far as churches go the Cologne Cathedral is truly breathtaking. |
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| The rather impressive train station. |
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| Some Hohenzollern king or another. |
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| The Hohenzollern Bridge over the Rhine - an impressive landmark of Cologne. |
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| Looking back towards the Cathedral from the bridge. |
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| Millions of padlocks on the railing. |
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Hoards of tourists even in March.
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The Rhine Valley
The section of the valley between the towns of Koblenz and Bingen known as the Rhine Gorge is a World Heritage Site.
Koblenz sits at the confluence of two massive rivers the Rhine and the Moselle or Mosel if you're protestant.
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| River cruise ships moored, some had French and Swiss flags. |
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| Deutches Eck |
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| The Moselle river with Koblenz in the background. |
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| The Moselle flooding its banks. |
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| Massive statue of Kaiser Wilhelm The Great who unified Germany. |
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| Ehrenbreitstein fortress on the eastern bank of the Rhine. |
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| The statue surrounded by the flags of all German Lands. |
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| There is a cable car that will take you to the fortress on the other side. |
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| The great junction of rivers. |
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| Not sure how this American flag fits in, maybe they're grateful for not having to learn Russian. |
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| Free street parking today, it's Sunday. |
And a few shots from the Rhine Valley... driving towards Bingen.
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| Beautiful scenery, shame about the weather. |
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| Loreley rock, a natural high point of the Rhine Gorge |
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| Lots of traffic on the river, cargo boats transporting everything from shipping containers to cars and even natural gas. |
Over the hill and into another valley...
Moselle (Mosel) Valley
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| Picturesque German villages along the way. |
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| In the heart of the Mosel wine region. |
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| The Moselle, like the Rhine, is also flooding its banks. |
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| The village of Piesport, home of the Piesporter Goldtröpfchen wine. |
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| Leaving the Moselle Valley and crossing into the Eifel mountain range. |
And now the videos....
And that's it for Germany. Tomorrow we are in
Luxembourg.
